Hey there,
We made it. To the States, off of Covid Island, into our new Condo, etc. I did not want to count any chickens until we hit the ground as there were rumors (mostly spread by the group of Latina women Betty is on a group chat with in Taiwan), that we couldn't get a Covid test needed to get on the plane, and they started canceling flights. And the flight to Seattle had a stretch of as bad turbulence to the point it felt the plane was gonna come apart. For some reason that must have a scientific answer, there is always a stretch over Japan where the air masses meet in some way to really shake things up.
Was weird being on a plane and just traveling The airport out was eerily quiet and we got through all the checkpoints with no lines. Whenever you get into lines at the airport, immediately do social profiling of those in front to see who is gonna be slow through security. Kids, old people and Asians are typically the red flags, but in Taiwan, it is all Asian, so what to do? In these times, we learned to stay away from getting in line behind the HazMat crews. So many, 20% I'd estimate, of the people in the airport and on our flight had full contagion gear. Double masked, face shield and the suit that covers the feet all the way to a hood. I bit disconcerting to see, but even more of a pain as manipulating the TSA checkpoint becomes a 10 step process.
Everyone in Seattle seems to be good about masks, both in the transport nodes and around town. It's only been a couple days but it doesn't feel like this is our town anymore. 10+ years away will do that...not sure about what road to take, shocked at seeing big asses crammed into stretch pants, and as our little corner of Taipei is full of (white) people from the American school, it was a good 3 days before I looked at every white person here and assumed I knew them.
And it really doesn't feel like Covid is a big thing anymore. Everyone wears the masks, but all the stores are full and our friends don't seem to have much concern about getting together. Many of them said this was the first or second time they'd been out with friends in a restaurant since March last year. Am sure that is not how it felt pre-vaccine and it is hard for us to grasp all of what y'all went through, and we know how fortunate we are to have dodged the mess last year, and to have a place to go now that Taiwan has succumbed Feel bad for Taiwan as they are not vaccinated and in full blown outbreak after not having it at all till now. 1200 cases and 8 deaths through May 18th, 2021, and 12K cases and 300 dead since.
Keeping an eye on our news sources, a couple of articles stood out. Here is one about your typical butt hole getting hassled for not wearing a mask at the 7-11 and doing some weird dance at the automatic door. Being a tool regarding masks is hardly an American quality.
Then there was this story. A local man who was wanted by police was identified at the train station and when cops went to arrest him, he pulled out a machete and attacked them. They were ultimately OK and the dude was arrested, but what jumped off the page was the headline...Unmasked Man Attacks Police With Machete leading an avid reader like me to think that being unmasked was the worst part of the offense.
A couple of initial thoughts on America, First, there is no traffic. Everyone says people are going back to work and that a lot more have September as the time they all go back, but I know several people whose jobs have moved on-line permanently. Whatevs...it is great not having traffic to deal with. It could be that there is just less volume, but it feels like there are less a-holes on the road. You see them of course, but they stick out like sore thumbs. Have been doing a lot of comparisons between the States and Taiwan and driving seems better here now. One thing that is annoying is that here, Betty knows where she is and likes to provide opinions on routes to take. I prefer her being a passenger in Taiwan where she has no idea where she is.
Even if most people go back to work, they sure as hell ain't going back to downtown Seattle en masse as it has become a ghost town. OR maybe zombieville as it seems that the downtown core has been completely abandoned to the homeless So many closed businesses and with few office workers, no foot traffic to revitalize the businesses that have made it this far once they reopen. I can't comprehend how my old office at Nordstrom has made it through. We've been downtown a few times for haircuts and doctors appointments, and what would have taken 20 minutes to navigate through now takes 5, which is a good thing as the entire area smells like piss. It was bad with the homeless last time we were here two years ago, but the transformation is stunning and depressing, and still do not really understand where they all came from. A buddy says the root cause is the 2008 housing crash as so many people lost their homes and while they rallied for a while, the money ran out. Maybe...it is an explanation I hadn't heard before but I do know that it'll take years for it to come back to life.
Another thing that feels different is that customer service has totally tanked. Stores that used to be fun to go shopping, like Bed, Bath and Beyond, have little inventory and selection, and the folks working there are unknowledgeable and uninterested in becoming more invested in their workplace. Even have found fault with my bread and butter's service level. I keep hearing complaints from businesses that they can't find workers cause they make more money being on unemployment with the implication that the people are sponging off 'us taxpayers'. Perhaps the shitty wages you were paying could use a bump?
What isn't a surprise but is so welcome is that the weather is ideal. It hit the 90's for a couple days, but it changes every day and has dipped into the low 50's. Every day is great, the skies are blue and clouds puffy. I hummed Everybody's Talkin' for days..."I'm going where the sun keeps shining, through the pouring rain. Going where the weather suits my clothes" Indeed.
We are quite happy with our new place. Was nervous as we had never seen it till we walked in, and while I can now see the imperfections, it is in a great spot. We can drive to everything in 30 minutes or less. The little market next door sells everything...not gonna do all our shopping there as it is more expensive, but for a last minute ingredient, it has it all. And not only do they have a great wine selection, but they butcher their own meat and have things that Betty loves, like corned beef and pastrami...and prime rib on Friday and Saturday. One of the restaurants across the street serves booze till 2am and the kitchen is open until 1am. The late night restaurant runs are fewer for us these days, but still nice to have.
It is smaller than our Taipei place by a little bit, but feels big enough. Betty is having a hard time with it though...she has been fully absorbed by the Costco hive and so buys in bulk and there just isn't the room for all the giant sized everything. To her credit, she realizes it, but still cannot resist.
We sorta joked that this place was the bridge from a big place with kids to the old folks home. Was not unfounded as the residents here are all our age to their 70's and we already feel like the young blood. We drove into the place for the first time and when we got into the elevator, this was taped above the buttons.
A hearing aid. My and my cane feel right at home. Speaking of which, my repaired knee feels fantastic. It is 5 months in as of yesterday I don't even think about it and caught myself the other day going down stairs in a way I haven't in decades
It is the view that takes it over the top. We have a full Rainier view and while it is obscured a lot of the time, when it is out it never looks the same. Have taken some photos but the camera on the phone doesn't do it justice. At dawn and dusk, it turns all the shades of pink and orange and purple. Sometimes the clouds cover the bottom and only the peak sticks out, and sometimes the top is covered and you can only see the middle. The clouds themselves have been interesting too. I like 'em puffy, but think that when they are streaked with some sunset glow that it looks like a Monet painting. I like Monet.
Not sure how often I will post in this space...has been hard as we have been constantly shopping or having people come in to measure this or deliver that, but intend to try. And now that the former Prez had abandoned his blog, I may be the last man standing.
